Ross Video’s John Ross Awarded Honorary Membership of the IABM

This year’s International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers (IABM) Annual Business Conference was held in London and the two-day event saw representatives from the industry’s leading companies come together to analyze the state of the market and discuss a range of hot topics affecting the broadcast world. The event culminated in an awards ceremony which included Honorary Membership of the IABM to John Ross, the founder of Ross Video.  On average, only one person wins this award per year, and last year no such awards were presented, making this a very prestigious award indeed.

John founded Ross Video in 1974 and a number of speakers paid tribute to John’s impact on the broadcast industry as well as highlighting his technical expertise and principled approach to business.  Notable pioneering achievements included the design of the first solid state production switcher, chroma keying on colours other than blue, and transition preview, the design of the modern fader handle, and many other features now implemented by switcher manufacturers around the world.

Taking the stage to a standing ovation and accepting the award from Peter White, Chief Executive of the IABM, a visibly-proud John graciously thanked the many people who had helped him in his career, and his friends and colleagues at Ross Video past and present.  Commenting on his father’s award, David Ross said “It’s a fantastic tribute to a man who set the foundations of Ross Video, the ethics, and the family feel that we’ve managed to maintain 40 years after he founded the company in the basement of our house with the sale of a rather inexpensive airplane.  On behalf of Ross, thank you for everything that’s happened.”

As part of the first day’s agenda, David Ross, CEO of Ross Video, contributed to a lively panel discussion about technology, and provided some very insightful comments around the pace of technological change and the need for commercial pragmatism as well as innovation.

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